Starter malfunctioning, video inside

[Steenbeen]

My K started having trouble starting a while ago.

First I thought the battery was done for. I filled it up to max, charged it, but no difference.
I tried starting it with a car battery, but still no difference, so I think I can conclude the battery is fine.

Here's a video/audio of me trying to start it.



What put me off is the whirring(if that's the correct English word for it) noise it makes. Is this the dreaded sprag clutch? Or did something else die?

I recognize the noise from a friends bike. It turned out his starter ring gear was worn out. I was thinking about what could be the equivalent in our bikes, but I'm not really sure as my friends bike has a bendix starter system.

Thanks in advance.

[Laitch]

Clean the positive and negative battery cable clamps and clean the ground connection to the transmission. Backspin starter maintenance is also on the program if those steps don't start it. You can learn about that in the Repair Guidance section.

[thecableguy]

+1 on what Laitch said.  Plus if the backspin cleaning either fails or stops working, check/replace the brushes in the starter.  That made a world of difference on my K.


Jim

[Steenbeen]

Thanks for replying!
I did the backspin starter maintenance and it started right up. Luckily I didn't take everything apart  :yes


Happy riding!


Edit:
The backspin starter maintenance stopped working, so I cleaned the ground on the starter. That seemed to work. I hope this can help someone else out.